Knif Audio’s insane 26-vacuum tube monosynth Knifonium, the ultimate boutique synth, is now available as a plugin thanks to Brainworx Audio and Plugin Alliance.
If ever there was a synth to get the heart racing, it’s the Knifonium. With 26 vacuum tubes, two oscillators, a 4th order ladder filter, and a ring modulator, not to mention a build that recalls Cold War-era military tech, the Knifonium is the stuff dreams are made of. Well, dream no more, as top-shelf plugin company Brainworx Audio (via Plugin Alliance) have partnered with Knif Audio to bring it to your computer in the form of Knif Audio Knifonium.
The plugin version features all of the functionality of the original, hand-crafted synth. There are dual tube-powered oscillators, filter, and ring modulator, as well as the usual complement of analogue synthesis controls. Brainworx haven’t stopped there, however, and have expanded voice count to eight, turning the monophonic original into a polyphonic synth. With 26 tubes per voice, that means a total of 208 emulated vacuum tubes.
Brainworx have gifted the software version with stereo spread as well as mid/side processing, something that would not be possible with the monophonic original. They have also added a unison mode—we’re excited to hear all 208 tubes pumping away at the same time.
Users of Brainworx’s excellent Oberheim SEM emulation bx_oberhausen will be familiar with the company’s range of stompbox-like effects. Brainworx appear to have taken a similar approach with Knif Audio Knifonium, adding a vintage-style phaser, plugin partner brand SPL’s EQ Ranger, a wavefolder, and more to the synth.
Brainworx Audio and Knif Audio promise that the plugin sounds exactly like the real thing. According to the companies, Brainworx Audio have “meticulously modelled the complete circuits of the original hardware including all 26 tubes, and applied its patented TMT (Tolerance Modeling Technology) to recreate the natural variations in envelope parameters, pitch, LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) speed, and so many more characteristics to make this digital recreation sound as realistically analogue and natural as possible.”
Brainworx Audio’s Knif Audio Knifonium is available now via Plugin Alliance at an introductory price of $199. The price will increase to $299 after August 10. It’s also included in Plugin Alliance’s monthly Musician and Mega subscription bundles.